2012 launches: 129 posts

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Sometimes it seems to me that every floral note needs to be “modern,” because (fill in the blank with your favorite blossom) is “a fusty, old-fashioned flower suitable only for maiden aunts and grandmothers.”  When you get your fusty flower back, it feels like something that has gone through several wash cycles and emerged squeaky clean and limpid.  As I read the aforementioned quote by Stella McCartney about her desire to modernize lily of the valley for her new signature fragrance L.I.L.Y., I wondered what the outcome would be.  My qualm with most modern lily of the valley fragrances is that they smell of laundry products—lily of the valley aroma-materials are popular in functional perfumery—not that they are old-fashioned.

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Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

He brings the sunshine. That’s how Etat Libre d’Orange describes its latest fragrance Fils de Dieu, du Riz et des Agrumes. “Son of God, rice and citrus” was brought into this world by perfumer Ralf Schwieger, who took the idea of a classical oriental and made it new and memorable. What drew me to Fils de Dieu from the first inhale was how well it played on the contrasts: the effervescence of citrus cologne and the plush richness of vanilla, the spring-like brightness of green leaves and the sultry darkness of musk, the clarity and the complexity.

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Oscar de la Renta newest fragrance live in love is “inspired by passion for life. The scent is a reflection of the woman who lives each day with joy, whose life is filled with beauty and inspiration. For her, there is no other way to live- she loves life.” Have you tried it already? If so, please comment.

“live in love opens with sparkling ginger orchid and bergamot, merged with lush hyacinth, green muguet and galbanum. The scent has a heart of florals, including jasmine sambac, orange flower and rose. Creamy white woods and sensual musk intertwine with amber, sandalwood and cedarwood at its base. The complexity of live in love evokes that of a classic scent, made with ingredients of the highest quality.”

Available at more department stores and online via Oscar de la Renta’s website. live in love 3.4 oz Eau de Parfum Spray/$98.00, 1.7 oz EDP/$78.00, 1.0 oz EDP/$58.00, 6.8 oz Body Lotion/$49.00. Via press release

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

It is rare that a movie sequel outshines the original. More frequently, the plot feels strained, the characters tired and the ideas bland. In the case of flankers, the perfume version of cinematic sequels, the same holds true. The original Chloé—the 2008 original, I mean, not the 1975 bombshell–was a lychee spiked rose that smelled simultaneously sharp and cloying. Given this inauspicious association, I did not think that its flanker L’Eau de Chloé would be different. And how wrong I turned out to be! L’Eau de Chloé is a spicy green chypre, with a bold rose note. It has enough retro glamour to wear like a full length ball gown and enough modern simplicity to feel as comfortable as a silk slip.

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“To celebrate its 190th anniversary, the Swiss watchmaker Bovet is releasing its first perfume for women at the Baselworld fair this week. With top notes of blackcurrant buds, magnolia and violets, and middle notes of rose petals, iris, ylang-ylang, jasmine and rosewood bark, the floral scent plays on Bovet’s origins in Fleurier, the village in the Val-de-Travers district of the Swiss Jura that is also known as the valley of a thousand flowers.”

From Watchmakers Push Into New Realms of Luxury, a NYT article exploring how Swiss luxury watch houses are diversifying their portfolios with perfume.